The Forgotten Red Turtle

Perhaps I didn't stress enough that I would like to know what you all think, especially since I only continued it because everyone demanded it. This is the last chapter.

Chapter five

Part I

They all sat down to eat the dinner Mike had prepared, a meat and vegetable stew. Simon smelled it from the living room, and thought it smelled promising, very good and with out garlic. But when he started in on his bowl, he swallowed a whole clove.

"Alright, I remember something!" he yelled after a moment of choking, "I HATE garlic! And Ginger! And pepper! Stop giving it to me; if I don't get to eat some real food soon I'm gonna eat one of you!"

Everyone stared shocked at him.

"You really remember that?" Darin asked hopefully, but this just pissed Simon off more.

"NOO!" he cried, "I don't remember anything, I have amnesia. You don't cure amnesia with garlic, you idiots!"

He emphasized this by knocking the dish to the floor, spilling the stew (which had four more garlic cloves in it) and stormed out, leaving everyone, even Splinter, slack jawed.

"I was just trying to help", Mike was the first to squeak.

"Uh, he's never acted like that before", Nikki told them.

"I guess he really isn't our brother anymore", Molly voice struggled, and then she ran out crying.

"Well, this is probably pretty stressful for him", Donatello said calmly, "I mean, he has a point. We should try and make it easier for him, and if he doesn't like garlic, I'll give him some of my stew. Maybe if he eats he'll feel better."

Donatello took his soup and went out of the kitchen too.

"What...what should we do?" Darin asked all the others. He felt responsible for the outburst since he had been forcing ginger on Simon, but he thought it would help. He didn't realize Mike was forcing garlic on him too.

"I think Donatello has the right idea", Splinter mused, "I know this must be hard on you all, because you want him to be your brother again, but you must allow him to find himself."

"But, couldn't that take a long time?" Nikki asked helplessly.

"Yes, it could."

The twins watched this exchange, decided there was nothing they could add, and began eating the soup. Darin and Nikki gave up on eating for now; they were very hungry but couldn't stomach it just yet. Leo wanted to help everyone, so he cleaned up the soup Simon had spilled, and gave Mike a sympathetic pat. Raph ate. Mike ate some, but was too personally upset by Simon's rejection of his food. Splinter went to console Molly.

Part II

Splinter found Molly crying in the training room.

"Do not take his outburst personally", Splinter said.

Molly looked up, slightly disappointed. Even in utter despair, she had been kind of hoping Donatello would be the one to come comfort her.

"You don't understand. Simon's my twin, and now he's..."

Splinter offered her tissue.

"I have been giving this matter great thought. I have some experience in the astral plane, and I believe that with your abilities as a psychic we may be able to tap into his hidden memories and help him. Are you willing to try this?"

"Yes", she answered definitively. She felt more sure of her powers than she ever had in her life. Splinter was much better at this than Akira.

Part III

Donatello found Simon watching TV again. He was very absorbed in another cartoon, feeling very sick from the garlic and the wound in his stomach.

"Here, I bought you some untainted soup", he presented.

Simon suspiciously tested a sip, found it to be free of any offending herbs and promptly devoured it. He felt much better.

"Thanks, Donatello."

"They were just trying to help. We all want you to be yourself again, even though I don't know what you were like before."

Simon didn't say anything to that. He turned his attention back to TV.

"Well, if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know", Don offered.

"Just keep Mike and Darin away from my food", he replied bitterly.

Don left. Simon hadn't meant to be so mean, but right now he was really frustrated with his memory. Before he had too much preoccupation with saving his family, now that they were here, the depth of that which he didn't know, about any of them, overwhelmed him. There was so much that now, even if he got his memory back, he would forever be wondering if it was really all there.

Splinter approached him next.

"Perhaps, you and your sister could join me in my room. I may have a way to help you", he said.

"Sure, okay", Simon agreed hesitantly. He almost wanted to sarcastically add that he hoped it didn't involve garlic, but held back.

Part IV

Molly was already in Splinters room, preparing herself for how to accomplish this.

Simon sat down next to her, and Splinter took his seat before them, and lit some candles.

"This will be a feat rarely attempted", Splinter told Simon, "If there was any opportunity to bring you to a hospital, to seek conventional means to heal your mind, I wouldn't dare use this method."

"Uh...I do want my mind back, but...this isn't going to possibly kill me or anything, is it?"

"No, no, nothing like that", Splinter assured him, "It's just a very difficult thing to accomplish. I will attempt to use your sister's abilities and my knowledge of the spiritual world to restore you."

"What should I do?" Simon asked.

"You should meditate."

"Okay."

Splinter helped Simon get into a good, relaxing mode where his wound wouldn't bother him and he wouldn't focus on the candles and accidentally teleport. Then he took Molly, and together they tranced to the astral plane, and went about solving the problem.

Part V

Every one had gathered in the living room to watch TV. After much deliberation, they had ended up watching the power ranger movie, much to the chagrin of Raphael who felt way too mature for it. Mike made them all popcorn, which they had never had before, and with all this joy around they were able to keep from wondering what was going on with Splinter, Simon, and Molly.

Simon and Molly emerged just as the movie was ending. Only Raphael, who was bored, would have noticed the glint in their eyes, but unfortunately he had gone to the training room to spar. Molly went to the kitchen, returned shortly and passed something to Simon, who nodded.

It was late now, and everyone started going to bed. Nikki, Darin, and the twins rehearsed some of the moves they just saw, being all excited about it. Leo and Mike hadn't really enjoyed it that much, they were more amused by the others enthusiasm.

Everyone went to bed, but Simon and Molly only pretended to be asleep, Simon because he was going to do something and Molly because she knew that Simon was going to do something.

After being sure that everyone was definitely sound asleep, Simon crept out of his bed, approached Jordan and Torrance and skillfully, in the dark, wrote a series of insults in Turkish, English, and some Arabic on their bodies with the bright pink permanent marker Molly had given him earlier. Successfully completing that task, he went to sleep.

The next mourning they all woke up, and the twins immediately noticed the decorations. They were able to get to the bathroom in an attempt to wash it off before any one noticed, but of course it didn't come off.

"Who the hell did this?" Jory asked Tory.

"I don't know. Molly, maybe, for that Donatello remark?"

"Molly's never done anything like this."

"Maybe it was Raph. He didn't like the movie."

"I don't think he's that type. Besides, he doesn't speak Turkish."

"I don't suppose they signed it?"

They checked each other over for a signature and didn't find one.

"I guess it could have been Darin."

"But what have we done to him lately?"

"Were going to have to ask."

"But then they'll all see it."

"I think that's the idea."

"Let's totally kill whoever did this."

"If its Molly, we'll just announce that she likes Donatello. That'll teach her."

"No, no, if it was her, lets tell everyone that she's pregnant. We won't even say it's Donatello, that way they'll all think one of them did it."

"Agreed."

"Hey, if it was Darin, let's say he likes Donatello too. That'll be fun."

"Yeah."

They came out of the bathroom. Since there was only one bathroom right now for eleven occupants, almost everyone was waiting in line outside. Leo, Don, Raph and Splinter were still in their rooms.

"Hey, what happened?" Mike asked. At first, it just looked like a bunch of abstract pink designs over them.

Darin and Nikki fell over laughing. They didn't even think about who did it, they just thought the whole idea was really funny. Especially some of the things in Turkish. Rather than vulgarities, Simon had used creative descriptions to get his point across, and even had some correspond from one twin to the other, so that reading them both together was quite interesting.

Molly had most of the surprise taken away since she knew what Simon was doing, but actually seeing it made her fall over laughing too. They totally deserved it, she relished.

Even Simon was impressed, seeing his artistic endeavor by light of day. He had agonized over the best revenge, for everything they had done to him and Molly, and decided that this was pretty good. Ordinarily he would never be able to get away something like this, so this was his only opportunity.

"Who did this?" Jory asked, trying to keep some dignity.

Nikki looked at Darin expectantly. Because of the Turkish and Arabic, he knew it had to be one of his siblings, and Molly wasn't that bold, and Simon wasn't that type even if he remembered anything about his family.

"Oh, I get it, that's pretty funny", Mike remarked, finally reading some of the insults.

"We're going to kill who ever did this", Tory threatened.

"No your not", Simon told them calmly.

"Why not?" they asked together. Now they were thinking it had to have been Molly, and Simon was just sticking up for her.

"Because you're going to be glad."

Now everyone had stopped laughing and stared at Simon.

"Glad about what?" Jory inquired. This was really weird.

"Glad that I got my memory back", he answered with an evil grin.

And of course they were.

The End

This really is the end. I'm working on a bunch of other intriguing stories now.